College News

Creston, IA--The Creston Kiwanis Club honored four Creston High School students who have been selected to receive the club's 2015-16 scholarships at their regular meeting on Tues., May 5, 2015, at The Windrow restaurant in Creston.

Kayla Long, a senior at Clarinda High School, has committed to the Southwestern Community College (SWCC) Dazzlers drill team program.

Long, who will graduate from Clarinda this month, has been active in high school competing in golf and cheerleading, as well as being named to the honor roll all four years of high school. In addition, Long competes with the Footworks Dance Competition Team.

Kaeleigh Ballentine, Southwestern Community College’s recently named drill team coach, has another addition to her 2015-16 recruiting class with the commitment of Loren Gillette of Osceola.

Gillette, a senior at Clarke Community School, joins Creston dancers Brenna Baker, Marie Hood, Maddie Skarda, and Raegen Smith, as well as Clarinda’s Kayla Long as new recruits on the Dazzlers team. The Dazzlers will have one returning dancer, Bailey Mellencamp of Clarinda.

The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) athletics department has announced Nick Ekel of Oshkosh, WI, as the new head coach for the track and field and cross country programs. Ekel will replace Bill Huntington, who had coached cross country for the Spartans since inception of the program in 2006 and track and field since it was added in 2012. Huntington announced in February he is leaving the college in May to become high school principal at Sidney.

The Southwestern Community College athletics department is hosting a variety of summer camps for youth of all ages. Currently scheduled are boys basketball camps and girls volleyball camps. Watch for information coming related to girls basketball camps (June 15-17).

Griswold High School senior Trevor Elwood will be joining the Southwestern Community College (SWCC) sports shooting team during the 2015-16 season. Elwood, pictured with his father, Dan (center), and Charlie Mundy (at right), SWCC sports shooting coach, will major in electrical technology at SWCC this fall.

Kendall Patton, a 6-foot-6-inch forward from Omaha North High School, has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to play basketball at Southwestern Community College. He joins Jordan Johnson from Roosevelt High in Des Moines in the Spartans 2015-2016 recruiting class.

Jordan Johnson, Des Moines Roosevelt High School senior, has signed a National Letter of Intent (LOI) to continue his academic and basketball career at Southwestern Community College.

Johnson led Roosevelt in scoring, assists, and steals during his junior and senior seasons with the Rough Riders. His averages were 14.4 as a senior and 16.9 as a junior in the scoring column, while he dished out 163 assists and had 68 steals during his final two seasons.

More than 100 people were trained during the Pay it Forward CPR/AED classes held during the month of April! The classes were sponsored and paid for by Creston's local insurance agents and taught by SWCC adult and continuing education instructors. Participating insurance agencies include Tyler Insurance Services; American Family, Katie Turner; Carter Insurance Agency; Farm Bureau, Joe Calvin; Hometown Insurance; and State Farm, Ben Adamson.

Right handed pitcher Ethan Westphal was named the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference DII Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 20-26. Westphal led the Spartans in a no decision against DMACC and then a win over NIACC. In the two outings, Westphal tallied 14 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings, with five earned runs on 16 hits and three walks. His K/9 on the season is 11.06 and has given up 16 walks to his 68 strikeouts, a 4 to 1 strikeouts to walks ratio.